Elbereth
by The Weasel
Summary: Alex arrives in England and makes a mysterious aquaintance? Who is she... and what is this throbbing emptiness Alex feels?
1. Episode 1 Innocence Lost

DISCLAMER:  I do not claim ownership of any copyrighted material in this and I'm sorry if it makes catholic people mad, but I was catholic and as a matter of fact, the church in the beginning of the episode is the one in which I was baptized, 31st street between 7th and 8th avenues.  I just used it 'cause it's near Penn station in NYC and fits with the conflicts in Hellsing.  Also, a note, all of the places in NYC except Laura's apartment actually exist.

WARNING: This has absolutely NO relation to the plot of the actual show of which I've only seen the first 6 episodes.  So, excuse me if I know absolutely shit about the details in later episodes.

ON TO THE STORY!!! (forgive me fairygurl)

Episode 1: End of Innocence 

****

The moon glared down at Alexander Elbereth, casting the light of the untamed sun earthward into his brown eyes.  The eyes stared up at the sky, looking for stars, but soon found that they were lost in the opaque, brownish haze that covered the little gray island of Manhattan at midnight.  In Cairo, upstate, the stars were innumerable and bright, spanning the entire violet sky that sheltered the Catskill Mountains.  He had only been in New York City for one hour, and already he was realizing that it was a scary place.  Little did he know that it was scarier than anything he or any of its residents could imagine to be possible.

            Alex was a seventeen-year-old runaway who had fled from the certainty of an abusive home to the depth of a dangerous world of uncertainty.  Who knows what horrors, what freaks of nature or otherwise, might lurk amidst the ignorant masses, caught up in the crush and crawl of daily life?  Certainly not Alex, who had withdrawn his savings on this, the last day of school, and left at midnight with $650 in savings.  Now he stood in front of Penn Station, wondering what to do next.

            Alex walked toward the street labeled 32nd street. He decided he would walk towards that street, and down the street labeled 8th avenue until he could find an adequate place to sleep.  As he walked, Alex felt tired and looked at his watch, it was 2:30 in the morning.  _That would explain why nobody's around_, he thought.   Alex crossed 31st street and looked down the block, it was dark, but he could barely make out a dark heap of gothic architecture, with a sign attached to it, saying "Franciscan Friars Monastery".   _A catholic church!_ Alex thought, _No, even better! A monastery! They'll be sure to give me a place to sleep here!_ Alex nearly fainted with happiness.

            Walking up the steps to the monastery doors, Andy noticed a drop of something red on the first step.  _Blood_. Another drip fell on top of it.  Andy looked across the stream of blood that was dripping to a giant puddle of blood that lay in the shadows where Andy hadn't noticed it.  In the middle of that puddle lay the body of a woman, possibly in her  middle-to-late thirties, with several holes in it in the shape of large knives.  She had brown hair and eyes and a motherly appearance… the appearance of a loving mother Alex never had.

"Oh my god," Andy said aloud, queasy, "Who did this to you?"

The woman shook her head weakly, and said in the forced voice of a dying breath, "Not important. I have a… a burden I would like you to… carry in the name of my now dead family."

"What kind of burden?"

"One errand… and the legacy of an… ancient ancestry. Will you take it?"

Alex was now noticing some strange features on this woman, namely two elongated teeth and oddly discolored eyes.  Alex gasped at what he realized lay dying before him.

The woman was a vampire.

"I know this is… a lot to ask… of a stranger, but…" the woman took a quivering breath and said, "A teenager walking around at 2AM must not have much to lose… please… from the bottom of my heart… you must accept this gift, this curse… so that my death will not be in vain."

"Okay." Alex leaned forward, and asked, "Will this hurt?"

"Only if you want it to." She said, and sank her teeth into Alex's jugular vein.

            Instantly, Alex began to feel waves of pleasure flowing through his body.  He forgot about the aching of his joints and the slow numbing of his body.  _Will I die?_ Alex cared no longer. He wanted only to gurgle sweet nothings into the woman's ear, but he could only groan with a single faint breath.  He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but he couldn't move his limbs.  Alex could only sink into oblivious unconsciousness as his body began to change…

*   *   *   *   *

            Alex was not dead.  He could open his eyes and see the woman's barely living face. He could feel pins and needles prickling every muscle in his body. He could hear cars passing by infrequently.  Alex unsteadily sat up, leaning on the church doors. Alex looked at the vampiress' face.  He knew that he was now connected to her somehow… she was his master.  His watch said that it was 2:50, nearly an hour had passed while Alex was unconscious.

"Alex…" whispered the dying woman in his brain, "You must find the envelope wrapped in parchment in my purse. You may read the paper but do not open the envelope."

Alex looked through the woman's purse and withdrew the letter wrapped in notebook paper.

"Alex," she spoke telepathically, "thank you for giving up your humanity to carry on the Cherriworth legacy.  From now on your name is Alex Cherriworth-Elbereth.  I can now safely leave this world.  Thank you…"

With that, the woman turned into a pile of dust, and blew away into a wind that blew through all living things, but did not rustle the leaves of the trees.  _My master is dead now…I am free again, but I shall never forget her._  Alex unfolded the ancient-looking piece of parchment, and read it.

London, June 15, 1674 

_Dear reader,_

_            If you are reading this piece of paper it means that I, Adriana Bella Cherriworth, am dead, and have made you a vampire to carry on our family name.  It is most likely that the Iscariot branch of the Vatican has finally hunted me down and murdered me.  You must avoid the Catholics and any other Catholic institution, even if you were once one of them, and for that matter, trust no religious institution except possibly the Anglican Church, but even some of them are against us.       _

_Stay away from mortal institutions altogether with the exception of one…the **Hellsing** family.  They are devoted to destroying rampant vampires to protect the innocent, and protecting righteous vampires.  If there is a letter attached to this letter, it is for them.  DO NOT READ IT. Take it to them.  Even if you are reading this in an American colony, or an Indian colony,  in the year1774 or 2674 or 950,271,674, you mustn't worry, the **Hellsings** WILL be around!!_

 As a vampire, you are endowed by (God? Satan? A strange deformity?) with special powers, such as superhuman strength, agility and stamina, night vision, and later on the ability to control minds and change yourself into terrifying forms.  You are also immortal, and can regenerate your body parts. You need not fear any blade or bullet except silver. Even silver forks, knives, or spoons or silver rings.  Silver will injure you seriously.  When you feed, don't feed on innocent people.  Make sure you find someone in the process of some evil act.  These occur more often than you might imagine, and they will be easier to find because you can sense these things.  Don't worry if you can't find anything to drink, you can stay alive for a few days until you begin to get weak.  If you make a bad name for yourself, the **Hellsings** will not take you under their wing.

_No matter how you live your life, you **must** first deliver the message if there is one._

_Thank you eternally,  _

_Adriana Bella Cherriworth_

_            This woman's been around for at least 430 years!! _Alex thought, _How long will I live?_  Alex shrugged and set off on his quest to find these Hellsing people.  As he walked toward Eighth Avenue, he thought of a plan of action to accomplish his mission.  First, Alex would leave for London, England as soon as possible.  _No, that would be second, _he thought, as he turned on to eighth avenue, _First I need to eat…I mean drink. Now where am I going to find guilty blood?_  Alex stayed attentive until he reached 28th, when he was alerted to some movement in a large indented area in a huge building with a sign that said "FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY" Alex moved closer and used his night vision to see a man dressed in black mugging a woman with a handgun.  

Something clicked within Alex.  He knew what to do.  He became a different person.

"Excuse me," he said "what are you doing?"

"I'm muggin' this bitch!" screamed the mugger "Now get the fuck outta here or I'll blow her ass to hell."

"Just go!" said the girl

"Are you dishonorable enough to shoot a woman?" Alex responded calmly, his red eyes glowing.  "Why not shoot me if you're going to shoot someone?"

"Who the hell ARE YOU?" he said, aiming and firing half a clip into Alex' chest as the girl screamed.  Three bullets out of five went straight through him and out the other end.

Alex grinned as he let himself sink to the floor, landing face down. 

Blood gushed out of the wounds, deepening Alex's hunger.

"Ohmigod, you shot him!" she shouted.

"Damn right I did, and I'll shoot you too if you don't shut the fuck up!"

"How could you kill somebody like that?"

Alex slowly began to rise.

"Damn it, bitch, you want me to rape you too?"

"Oh, Christ what did I do to…deserve… this…" said the girl, her voice trailing off as she saw Alex get to his feet. 

Alex chuckled, reaching into the two wounds where the bullet had halted in his chest and pulling out both bullets without flinching. "Are these supposed to mean anything to me?"

The five wounds healed instantaneously.  

"How did he do that?" said the girl.

"Shut the fuck up blabber mouthed bitch!" the mugger withdrew a knife with a ten inch blade with his left hand and screamed, "I have no idea what the fuck you are but you are going to DIE BITCH!!!!" and threw the knife with surprising accuracy, hitting Alex in the neck, missing the jugular.

Alex pretended to stagger back and grimace. "Ooh, ahh," he said sarcastically, "I'm so fucking HURT," ripping the knife from his neck, which healed. 

The mugger dropped the gun from his hand and let the girl go. "Motherfucker…" said he.

The girl stumbled out of Alex's way.

Alex licked his blood off the blade, and said, "Now it's my turn." He held the knife in throwing position.

"NO!" said the mugger, shielding his face.

Alex threw the knife… behind him into the street. "You know, cutting you open and gutting you like the fucking pig you are would be classified as a waste of fine blood." He walked toward the cowering victim, and grinned like a psycho on crack.  

"No! Please! Don't!" begged the mugger as Alex walked towards him.

"No, please, don't!" Alex mocked, "After you shot me five times and almost beheaded me, you expect pity from me?" He laughed.

He grabbed the mugger by the neck, and sank in his teeth.  He drained every last drop of his victim's blood as the young blonde stood in the corner quivering. "Ohmigod." she ceaselessly repeated.

"Mmm, mmm." Alex said as he dropped his victim to the floor.  His eyes returned to normal red. "What have I done?" he said.

"You just drank that man's blood!"

"Oh, man," Alex said, "I can't believe I did that!" he tasted blood.

"But still," she said, "you saved my life." Her hazel eyes locked into Alex's. "You're my hero."

"I am?" Alex said staring at his bloodied hands, "I am… I'm your hero." He smiled.

"Come with me." She said, "We can crash at my place."

*   *   *   *   *

            Alex lay on the girl's bed.  Her name was Laura and though she was a two years older than him, she was also very thankful.  There she stood, decked out in black lingerie. She walked towards Alex slowly, and put her hand on him.  She leaned down and kissed him.  Alex's instinct was to go for her neck and suck her blood right there but he couldn't.  Alex had thought all his life that loosing his virginity would be fun, and though it was one of the best moments of Alex's life, it could have been much better if he had allowed his teeth to sink into that perfect, delicious neck…


	2. Episode 1 Innocence Lost Part II

DISCLAMER:  I do not claim ownership of any copyrighted material in this entire story. 

WARNING: This has absolutely NO relation to the plot of the actual show of which I've only seen the first 6 episodes.  So, excuse me if I know absolutely shit about the details in later episodes.

ON TO THE STORY!!! (forgive me fairygurl)

Episode 1: End of Innocence (continued) 

            Laura's arms were still around Alex when he woke up.  Something was burning his face, as if he had a sunburn.  He realized that the sun was shining through the window.  He had heard that vampires were hurt by the sunlight, but he wasn't sure because it was left out of the window.  Alex pulled the covers up over himself and his lover and kissed her.  

"Honey, wake up."

"Oh, Alex." She said, "I was dreaming."

"Could you please close the blinds for me?"

"Why?"

"The sun is shining into the room. I'm getting sunburned."

"Oh, that's right!" she said, "I forgot you were…" She got out of bed and let down the blinds. "It must be hard not to see the sun, it's such a beautiful thing."

"I'm going to miss it." Alex said, the covers muffling his speech.  He pulled them off and got up.

"It's Saturday, and we can't go outside. What are we going to do?" she said, disappointed.

"I really don't want to sound like a jerk, but I have to leave for England as soon as possible." He rubbed his forehead.  "I wish we could get to know each other better, but every hour I stay here my enemies are one step closer to me."

"It must be a bummer to have all of those people after you." She said turning toward Alex.

Alex put his arms around Laura. "That's why I have to leave, so they don't show up at your doorstep with pitchforks and rakes and torches and stuff"

She giggled. "Okay," she said, "Put your clothes on, and we'll get a cab. I'll take you to the airport."

"I have to get a ticket."

"The phone is in the kitchen." She said, walking to the bathroom, "I'll be taking a shower."

Alex walked through the apartment. It was very small, and wasn't super decorated.  The kitchen was bland, with black and white tiles, and all the signs of a young single woman. The bottle of champagne they had had last was still out.  How had that champagne gotten there? Neither of them was old enough to drink.  The phone sat on the wall near the doorframe. It was a clear cordless phone.  Alex dialed 411 to get the number for the nearest airport to him, which was Newark airport.  He dialed that number and got the normal "press 1 for…press 2 for…" routine.  He was transferred to the ticket sales department. 

"Hello, this is ticket sales, how can I help you?" said a feminine voice on the other end.

"Uhm, I'd like to reserve a ticket for a flight to London." Alex said.

"What day, sir?"

"Today, if it's possible, or tomorrow.  I can go late at night, if necessary."

"Well, sir, you are in a little bit of a bad position because no flights are available for 56 hours."

"Ok, thanks."

"Wait! Wait! Something just came up… someone cancelled for a flight at 3:30, today."

"That's incredible! Thanks!"

"Sir, you must have god on your side or something… I'm sorry, would you like a round trip?"

"No, one way please, I don't know when I'll be coming back."

"Cash, check, or credit card?"

"Cash."

"What's your name, sir?"

Alex paused… Would he be an Elbereth anymore, or a Cherriworth?

"Sir?"

"Alex Elbereth-Cherriworth." He spelled it.

"Okay come by and pick up your ticket. Don't be late!"

"Thanks, bye."

He put down the phone. "YES!" he screamed.  Then he noticed Laura standing in the doorway, with a sullen expression on her face.  She was dripping wet, in a pink bathrobe.

"A one way ticket?" she asked, obviously disappointed.  

"Honey, I really have no idea if or even when I will be back."

Laura hugged Alex and held him tightly. "When does your flight leave?"

"3:30."

"Well, it's 12:00 now, we'd better get over there."

"Alright get dressed and dry off, and we'll leave."

At 1:00 Alex and Laura were out on the street, hailing a cab.  Alex wore a baseball cap to shade his face from the sun, and kept his hands in his sleeves.  It wasn't long until one came, the sun glinting off its sleek yellow exterior. Laura and Alex got in the cab.  

"Where to?"

"Newark Airport, please." Said Laura.

"25 bucks on the spot, lady."

"Ok," said Alex, "I got it." He reached for his wallet.

"No, baby, no." said Laura, "You have a long flight, and you're going to need some money when you get there. I don't want you drained.  British money is expensive."  She dug into her pocketbook and withdrew 25 dollars.

"Going to England kid?" the driver said to Alex. 

"Yup."

"I always wanted to go there.  Ride around in those red buses, see that wax museum, the palace, the guys with them furry hats."

"I'm not going to be doing so much sightseeing, I'm afraid."

"You're a bit young to be there on buisiness."

"No, I have some… family buisiness to take care of."

"Relatives…" the cabbie said reflectively, "Yeah, once I went to sicily to see my distant relations.  I think I had more fun than if I had gone to Venice or Rome."

            Alex was leaving all of his relatives behind to embark on a journey into a different world, alien and cold.  He knew little about british culture, or about the secret race of which he was now a part.  Alex stared out into the city that he would never know, glinting golden in the sunlight that had once bathed him in warmth and now would turn him to dust.  For a second he felt alone, uneasy, unsafe, and misunderstood.  Then came a whisper in his ear.  "_Honey, it'll all work out just fine_." Laura lay her head on Alex's shoulder.  Alex felt safe by her side, but for how long? An hour? Then he would lose her forever, and she would forget him.

Alex put his arm around Laura.  He would cherish her while he could.

*   *   *   *   *

Alex and Laura walked up to the British Airways desk, where a dark haired young girl with black eyes and freckles.  

"You have tickets reserved, sir?" the voice was familiar.

"Yes I do. Alex Elber…"

"Oh! I remember you! The last minute man!" she says.

"Yeah! So nice to meet you!"

"So, down to buisiness. You owe us $150 plus a $50 fee for a last-minute flight. You are paying in cash, correct?"

Alex gave the girl $200. He had $400 left, or £257.8.

"You're set to go to England, Alex." She said, giving him his tickets.

"Thank you."

"Alex, I think God is with you." Said the clerk, an admiring look in her eyes, "Take this cross, it's been in my drawer, and I want you to have it to remind you that He is watching."

It had white edges, and was mostly black with a white cross inlaid on it.  Alex's vampire senses tingled. This was familiar to the Cherriworth family.  Alex knew he was on the right track, doing the right thing.

"I am eternally grateful." Alex said.

He walked over to where Laura was waiting.  

"What was that all about with the cross?" she said.

"I think God's telling me I'm on the right track."

"I didn't know you were spiritual, Alex!"

"I wasn't, but I might be now."

As the two lovers walked to the gate, they talked and talked, as if to make up for the fact that they only had another quarter hour left in each other's lives until a very long time, maybe forever.

At the gate, Alex and Laura stopped.  

"I guess this is goodbye." Alex said.

"You're just a man, deep inside," she said softly, "A man who sucks blood and won't die. Remember that." She kissed him.

"Goodbye honey."

"Goodbye darling."

Alex turned to walk away, but Laura grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.

"ALEX!" she screamed, "Wait, please."

"What, Laura?" Alex said, not even frustrated.

"Let me confess something to you."

"Okay."

            "When you saved me from that sicko, and I saw you suck his blood, I was so freaked out, but I thought I'd just fuck you anyway. Just another fuck…but this morning, when I heard that you might not be coming back, I realized that I saw something else in you.  I have this attachment to you… I need to be with you.  I…I am in love with you, I think. I don't know, I don't know anything about love. Nobody's ever loved me, I don't think so at least, but you are so passionate, you are so caring… I need you. Please come back." Laura began to cry. "Please come back…"

"I will come back," he said, "That's a promise." He kissed her passionately.

They said goodbye again, and Laura watched Alex walk through the metal detector and out of sight. She would never forget him, and she knew she had to see him again somehow.  She stood there, dazed, for half an hour, and then took a cab ride back to her home.

Alex walked to the gate, and onto the plane. All he could think of was what Laura said to him.  As Alex began to fall asleep, the plane took flight into the ominous, unknown clouds, glaring silver under a forbidding sun.

NEXT EPISODE: Alex's arrival in England begins the search for the **Hellsing** family.  Will a fellow Vampire help or hinder him?


	3. Episode 2 The Arrival

DISCLAMER:  I do not claim ownership of any copyrighted material in this entire story. 

WARNING: This has absolutely NO relation to the plot of the actual show of which I've only seen the first 6 episodes.  So, excuse me if I know absolutely shit about the details in later episodes.

ON TO THE STORY!!! 

Episode 2: The Arrival 

            A tap on the shoulder awakened Alexander Elbereth-Cherriworth… A stewardess looking about 19 with blue eyes and brown hair greeted his eyes, and what a greeting! She was decked out in navy and was all smiles.  "Sir, we've landed. Please take all your baggage and things and exit from the front of the plane."  She spoke with a thick British accent. There was something about her that struck Alex. Her irises seemed tainted with red, her front teeth elongated…

Alex grinned, bearing his own fangs.

"An American vampire!" She said softly, but surprised, "The stuff of legends!"

"Really?" Alex responded.

"You are one of a very rare breed."

"Actually, I've been a vampire for only about 18 hours."

"Really? Who made you?"

"Is the name Adriana Bella Cherriworth familiar to you?"

"Bloody hell!"

"What?"

The pilot called for her.

"I'm on leave for a week. I hunt in the east end. Meet me there tonight."

She left.

            Alex got up and left the airplane. Alex took a shuttle into London. As he watched the scenery pass by in the sunlight. He looked away. This was Alex's first time outside the United States. Everything was alien; nobody existed for him to share his experience with. He glanced out the window, and for an instant thought he saw a reflection in the window of Laura leaning her head on his shoulder, but when he turned around he found the seat next to his empty. A tear fell from Alex's eye.

*   *   *   *   *

Laura woke up from the tear filled nap she had taken.  She cried for her love, lost across the ocean. Probably at that moment Alex was in England. Was he thinking of her? Was he remaining true to her? Was he off cavorting with some beautiful British vampires, performing a blood ritual?  The questions tore at her soul like piranhas on an unlucky cow.  She looked in the mirror of a vanity in her room and something yellow caught her eye.  It was parchment! Alex had left something for her? Or had he forgotten this?  Laura read the parchment aloud. "London, 1574…" The letter was written by an ancient vampire who had passed on her powers to the man or monster she loved.  She told him, rather vaguely, what to do upon receiving the letter, and whom to run from, and where to hide. 

_I will make a solemn vow to you, Alex, _Laura thought, _by the end of the summer; you and I will be together…forever._

*   *   *   *   *

Alex had an entire day to kill before he had to meet the stewardess, whose name he hadn't caught.  Fortunately for alex, it was an overcast day, as most London days are, and he rarely had to fear the sunlight.  He changed his money, bought a tourist map, and wandered around until he found himself at Trafalgar Square at about Eleven in the morning. Then he proceeded down Whitehall past all of the government buildings, until he was at the foot of Big Ben, that giant gothic clock that loomed as if sculpted by a giant out of a great redwood.  He took some time to stand and relax as the cars passed by, around and around and around the square they went.  Alex was suddenly in the middle of a world he had only seen in pictures, of an antiquated grandeur that he had never seen in any of his family ventures or class trips, and had nothing to do but wait.  

"Excuse me, sir," came the voice of an American man, could you take our picture?"

Standing beside Alex were a young couple, obviously tourists.  On their faces was written the overwhelming joy and hope of honeymooning lovers. _Laura…_ His mind recalled a similar look on her face.

"Sure I will." He said, and seeing their expressions added, "Expecting a British accent? Well, I'm just another tourist, but it makes no difference, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." said the man, handing Alex the camera. Alex took the picture of the happy couple.

"Are you here alone?" said the wife, a redhead with big gray eyes.

"I'm afraid so," Alex responded, "my girlfriend couldn't come."

"You must be so lonely." She responded. "a handsome young man like you shouldn't be all alone."

The husband, who had brown hair bleached blond, rolled his dark eyes.

"Can he tag along?" she pleaded.

"Hey, wait a minute,," Alex said, not wishing to cause trouble, "I can tell you two are just married, and you're here to be with each other. Just go on without me."

"Oh, alright." She said.

They said goodbye, and the couple walked away.

            Alex now decided to go to the famous "London Bridge".  Pulling out his tourist map, he decided to take the famous "Underground" to get to it.  So, Alex walked to the nearby Westminster stop and took the green line to Monument.  The Underground was exactly what it's slang name described it as. A tube.  He had heard stories of this transportation system, such as complaints of how complex it was, and the charming computerized voice that said, _"Mind the gap!"_ All of these, it turned out, were true.  Alex was glad that he wasn't on it at rush hour, because he had heard that the Tube was more packed than New York City trains.  Alex walked up the stairs and exited the Tube for now.  

            The sun stabbed Alex's eyes from between clouds. He turned away, and quickly tried to heal them, but it was tough.  A couple people asked him if he was okay, he said he was just a little light sensitive.  That was an outright undersatement.  He pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes just enough to keep out the sun of high noon, but still allow him to see.

            Of course, the bridge was beautiful.  Built in the neogothic style, the famous bridge had stood through ages.  Alex ignored nagging sensations of boredom, walking back and forth over the Thames for maybe an hour or more, looking for a misplaced feeling of joy.  There was none, and he moved on to the Tower of London, not very far away.  The Tower had served as a prison, a palace, and a museum.  Alex could very much relate. The tour was also about an hour, and even included a sighting of the British crown jewels, coveted throughout the world. Alex wandered, and wandered, and wandered, visiting parts of the museum ten times.  Guards were beginning to give him suspicious looks, so he left.

            Alex knew he didn't need to eat.  He hadn't felt hungry "per se" since he had undergone the change.  Nonetheless, he decided to eat.  Alex wandered once again and found himself a quaint little restaurant.  He sat down and ordered some very English-sounding dish.  It turned out to be some cabbage, meat and potatoes.  Not too bad but a bit on the bland side.  Even after dessert, Alex still didn't feel full.  Alex paid for the meal, and stepped out into the street, upon which the sun was finally setting.

_What is it that feels so empty?_ Alex wondered. As full of life as the world seemed, it was all empty to him now.  Nothing he once loved now satisfied him.  Suddenly, Alex realized that the answer had been there deep inside of him.  _He had sold his soul!  _All of the beauty in the world, indeed, perhaps even Laura, meant nothing compared to a deep inner drive, sort of a primeval voice… calling… calling… calling… for blood!


End file.
